From Little Acorns, Mighty Oaks Grow
by Oakleaves
Summary: From the smallest beginnings of childhood, the bravest hearts, the strongest minds, and the greatest characters can grow. A periodic chronicle of the lives of Luana and Lamiel, princesses of the Woodland Realm, and their cousin Legolas, on their journey from youth to adulthood.


A playful splash could be heard in the sunny glen of the forest. It was midsummer, and two elflings were enjoying the day playing in one of Greenwood's natural pools. The sun trickled down through the dense crowns of the trees and fell in dappled gold upon the ground. The elflings were only of six years each by elvish standards and had hair as golden as the rays that shone upon them. The two were merry and bubbled with laughter, running through the shallows of the pool while flicking water at each other in a play fight.

They had spent the morning swimming with their father, Lorelion, not far from their home. The pool provided a cool relief from the hot surroundings and the girls were obviously glad to play in its waters; furthermore, it offered an escape from the formality of life in the palace, for that was the place they called home.

Lorelion sat on the grassy banks as he watched them play. He smiled to himself; how his children loved to be outdoors. An earlier conversation with his wife came to mind, and he rested his chin upon his bent knee in contemplation. For some time, they had been toying with the idea of journeying to Lothlorien with their daughters to see the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Although Lorelion and his brother Thranduil had visited the Golden Wood many a time, and more recently he had travelled there with his own wife, their daughters had never been. Their two ruling families had long-kindled ties which deserved to be honoured, but more than this, Lorelion had greatly wanted to introduce his young daughters to Galadriel and Celeborn. He was keen to show them the other beautiful realm, and they would surely be dazzled as they explored the hills of mallorn trees. He knew they would themselves be loved by the Lord and Lady.

The emergence of an elfling from the pool drew him away from pondering this plan.

Lorelion wrapped Lamiel up in a soft towel as she exited the water. "It looks as if you've brought half the lake with you, young one!" he chuckled.

Lamiel placed her hands upon her father's cheeks with affection. "Oh _Ada_," she said as she touched his face with tiny fingers, "you're exaggerating. The lake is still behind me, and it is as deep as it was before."

Lorelion smiled at his daughter's matter-of-fact answer. He stared for a moment into her huge blue eyes. "Well, that may be, but you're still dripping wet!" He rubbed the beads of water out of her locks until satisfied that she was sufficiently dry; soaking hair would lead to soaking dresses. The elfling caught the corner of the towel and dabbed the rest of the moisture from her own face.

Luana presently climbed up the banks of the pool and sat down beside them. She was next to receive the towel treatment from her father, who held it out to his other child.

Luana beamed as he wiped her cheeks. "I'm so glad we came here, _Ada_!"

"Are you having fun?" he asked.

"Lots and lots!"

Both girls nodded their heads eagerly.

Lorelion gave a hearty laugh. "So have I."

Luana and Lamiel began to pull on the spare light smocks they had brought with them in little knapsacks.

Minutes later when they were all dry and settled, the older elf relaxed on the grass and closed his eyes. The bubbled laughter of the young she-elves died down to whispers, muted by the midday heat. Eventually all three lay sprawled on the ground together.

Far away, the regal form of King Thranduil looked out over the sweeping balcony of his library. He sensed the approach of his wife moments before he heard or saw her. Somehow, his heart was always the first to know of her presence before his other senses became aware.

"Are you looking at anything in particular, _meleth nin_? Or are you simply enjoying the view?" she enquired warmly, but she could guess at the answer already by the preoccupied look on her husband's face.

Thranduil smiled back at her. "I was just looking for any sign of their return."

"Lorelion and the girls, do you mean?"

"Yes." The king's face grew serious, and he looked ready to return to this occupation, now that he had answered his wife's question.

"Whatever for?" she asked, laughing lightly at his response. "Thranduil. They are only by the water pools. Lorelion is there with his daughters and he is quite capable of looking after them. They are all enjoying this fine day, as you should be doing."

"The sun does not dispel all danger," he murmured.

For Thranduil, the loss of his parents had left him highly aware that life could change at any moment. Their family had lost so much in recent years; he _needed _to do have reassurance that the remainder of his family were safe.

"Thranduil, they are alright," she repeated softly. "You need not worry so much. You are always concerned for them."

The king placed a hand upon Luithiel's and wrapped his fingers around her own. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, no. I suppose not," she answered.

"And Legolas, will he be returning from his excursion this evening?" The king altered the direction of the conversation. The young prince had left early that morning to venture out with his friend Filias and the other boy's father. It was the intention for them to be gone the entire day, but perhaps that meant it was more practical to spend the night at the house of his friend, especially if they were walking the whole time.

"Yes, he is. They should not be returning until the evening; Filias's father told me they may stop for a meal at their own house after the walk, before they bring Legolas home."

"Good. I expect he will be hungry after such a day and would rather eat sooner than later."

Thranduil pushed away from the balustrade. "Come, let us not stand here like sentinels any longer, my love."

Lorelion lingered with his daughters at the small water hole for nearly an hour more. They basked in the dappled sunlight together, stretched out upon the grass of the well-known spot that was frequently visited by animals and Elves alike. Then, after the elflings announced their desire to return home, they gathered up their belongings and walked the return journey along the well-trodden dirt path. It was mid-afternoon when they arrived at the palace gate. The guards welcomed the little royal family and admitted them into the secluded courtyard leading to the grand stone steps.

High above, Thranduil could hear the glad voices of Luana and Lamiel chatting as they returned home. He rose from his seat in the library and strode back to his vantage point on the balcony. The king felt a pang of relief at their safe return, which meant that he could finally abandon his casual watch for today. Crossing back through the library, he placed the tome currently in his hand onto a small side table. He would go to greet his brother before the other m disappeared into his own rooms.

"_Vede!_" Luana turned to her uncle and beamed when he entered the hall. She removed her arms from her mother's waist and came up to Thranduil, her eyes shining brightly.

Thranduil towered above the young elfling, but this didn't bother her in the slightest. He looked down at his niece. "I heard that the three of you went swimming in the glade today."

"Yes, we did!"

"And how was it? Did you enjoy yourselves?" he asked.

In a manner of pure childish joy, Luana gave an account of everything they had done.

"Your uncle has been awaiting your return all day, haven't you?" Luithiel raised an eyebrow knowingly at her husband. Thranduil chose to ignore her gentle jibe. Instead he spoke to his brother from where he stood, still being held in place by the elfling.

Lorelion then began to usher his daughters out of the hall so that they could change clothes. As he brushed past Thranduil, he lay a gentle hand upon his arm to draw his attention. During the walk home, he had further mulled over the intended visit to Lothlorien. He considered sharing the idea with his brother, although the plan was still in its early stages and would require more discussion between him and his wife. But there would be no harm in letting Thranduil know well in advance.

"Thranduil," he said, pausing momentarily at his brother's side. "I'd like to speak to you after dinner about something – a plan between Erulisse and I. It's nothing important, but I wanted to discuss it with you and make sure you are in agreement."

"Of course, _gwador nin_."

"Thank you." Lorelion smiled, and with a gentle squeeze of the arm he left his brother to climb the stairs to his chambers.

Thranduil could not guess at what the subject of this future conversation might be, judging from his brother's tone of voice: half-whispered, half-mentioned, with a subtext of excitement. But he forgot about this matter for now and walked on to his office, to prepare for counsel the following day.

* * *

_Ada_ = dad

_Meleth nin_ = my love

_Vede_ = uncle

_Gwador nin_ = my brother


End file.
